


Not Unless You Say So

by easilydistractedbyfanfic



Series: Nothing Left To Lose [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Cussing, Dom/sub Undertones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Light Dom/sub, Murphy is feeling lost but can you really blame him?, Raven is confused but can you really blame her?, Takes place around 2x02, emotional angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/easilydistractedbyfanfic/pseuds/easilydistractedbyfanfic
Summary: Figuring it out was an accident more than anything else. Because in spite of her reputation for being a genius, it still took her a little while to actually put the pieces together on something this...unique. And maybe because John Murphy doing her bidding any time she told him to seemed like the least he could do, considering.Based on a prompt via t100 Writers for BLM
Relationships: John Murphy & Raven Reyes, John Murphy/Raven Reyes, Pre John Murphy/Raven Reyes
Series: Nothing Left To Lose [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914400
Comments: 14
Kudos: 66
Collections: The t100 Writers for BLM Initiative





	Not Unless You Say So

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt via Bellarke Writers for BLM  
> Anon asked for "casually public domraven and submurphy", with no smut or degradation. Bonus points if Murphy is still kind of an asshole to everyone else.
> 
> Thank you Anon, for the request and for donating to such a great cause! I have to say, I wasn't certain exactly what to do with this story because I didn't know if you wanted canon or AU, in a relationship or platonic, and if no smut also meant no attraction/no kissing. But I went with what I felt like worked, and I sincerely hope I might have ticked a few of your boxes in the process! My apologies if I did not get it correct! 
> 
> PLEASE NOTE - I’m taking liberties with the s2 timeline here, imagining that there’s a much bigger slice of time between Raven’s surgery and when Murphy, Bellamy and Finn leave the wreckage of the Ark to go find the kidnapped delinquents at Mt. Weather and end up finding the crash site of Factory Station first. So in and around 2x02.

* * *

Figuring it out was an accident more than anything else. Because in spite of her reputation for being a genius, it still took her a little while to actually put the pieces together on something this...unique. And maybe because John Murphy doing her bidding any time she told him to seemed like the least he could do, considering. 

It was only after an exasperated Bellamy came to her while she worked on some electrical repairs that she thought there might be something more to it. Bellamy asked _her_ to give Murphy an assignment, saying that if she was the one who told him to do it, it would at least get done - and after that, his behavior around her began to add up. 

There’s a chance she has it wrong, she knows that. Suspicion of a thing doesn’t always make it true. But the question of what to do with the information is one she’s been idly thinking about for days, and at the very least, she’s going to test her theory. 

* * *

Murphy shows up in the area of Arkadia that she’s been using as her work space about twenty minutes after she sends someone to go find him. Off to a promising start, she supposes. 

“Heard you were looking for me.” He looks at a point past her shoulder, not quite meeting her eyes but not exactly timid either. She hadn’t really known him well, before. But they’d been in the Dropship camp together for a while before he’d shot her, anyway, and she hadn’t hated him or anything. Not like some of the others. Murphy had always had a bluster to him, a way of appearing self-confident, but she’d always believed he was more bark than bite.

In hindsight, she was both right _and_ wrong on that one. 

“Yeah. I have to get a generator fixed and I need a shit ton of wiring for it. Other people pulled these lines out of a portion of the Ark that’s beyond repair, and now it all needs to be stripped. But I don’t want the insulation ruined since I might need it again sometime. So go get me that tool over there and then pay attention while I show you how to do it.”

He listens, following the path of her pointed finger to get the wire stripper. She deliberately goes too fast when she first shows him how to use it, her fingers long practiced in the easy task. Murphy has a tougher time with it, which suits her purposes just fine. 

“No, like this,” she says, after his third try, stepping behind him and placing her hands over his with his body caged between her arms. He stiffens at the contact, but she doesn’t let that deter her. She can feel the tension in him loosen as he gets the hang of the tool, but his rapid breathing doesn’t slow even when she lets go, moving slightly to the side of him at the work table as she resumes her own project. 

“Is this okay?” There’s a needy note in his question, she’s sure of it. 

“You’re doing great. Keep doing it just like that and it’ll be done in no time.”

She watches his reaction carefully, wants to know whether he’ll respond to the praise and she isn’t disappointed to see a relieved grin spread across his mouth. He hid it quickly, but the evidence was there. 

They don’t talk for a while, and Raven makes a point of limping past him a few times while she gets the parts she needs, the feel of his eyes on her piercing and hot even with her back turned. 

About an hour later, she tests him further. “I’m thirsty. I want you to go get me some water.”

“Okay, yeah.”

Murphy leaves and returns within four minutes, a very full cup in his hands. Before he can place it on the table she reaches for it, making sure to brush his fingers with her own. 

“Such a good boy,” she murmurs, deliberately low and sweet, but her gaze is honed in on him, and oh yes the obvious gasp he makes lets her know he’s affected, as does the way his hand trembles as he wipes his palm on the front of his pants in an obvious nervous gesture, his tongue darting out to lick his lips at her affectionate phrasing. 

Looks like her instincts were correct. 

* * *

Murphy stands at her work table for almost three hours after he brings her the water, stripping the wires in the same repetitive motion until the pile of insulating tubing starts to puddle onto the floor. She gives up standing early on, demanding he get her a stool and carry it over, and he follows directions no matter how she asks him for the entire time he’s helping her. She observes him as she deliberately slams a few drawers and gets rough with her tools, his shoulders flinching and hiking closer to his ears. And after a long while she starts humming, just loud enough for him to hear, and his own mood seems to calm down along with hers. 

Maybe it’s his nature. Maybe it’s because he shot her. She’s conflicted about that one herself, refusing to dive too deep into the reasons why she doesn’t hate him as much as she feels like she should. Maybe he feels like he owes her a debt. It really doesn’t matter, she thinks. Because regardless of where it comes from, her experiences with John Murphy in the last couple of weeks spell it out. He wants to please her. Specifically her and not anyone else. 

It’s not unappealing, however wrong it is. Is it taking advantage if he wants it to happen? She doesn’t want to spend too much time on that question either. 

She wasn’t wrong. She knows that now. And she’s not finished. 

* * *

It doesn’t take long to catch him acting like an asshole. It’s kind of his brand, really, even though most people might not know it’s all swagger. She can spot it though, can look right through him to the vulnerable and scared kid he still is. He let her see the real version of him in the Dropship that day when everyone else was gone, and there’s no use trying to erase the image from her own memories. Impossible to be afraid of Murphy no matter who he killed or what he said or did when she knows what he looks like when he cries. 

He’s involved in some kind of fight, in the mess hall during the morning crowd. Raven doesn’t catch the reason but that's unimportant anyway. Bellamy’s already there, Monroe and Finn as well, trying to break it up. And there’s a bunch of familiar young faces from various stations crowding around too, much more interested in urging it all on. 

She’s still unsteady on her feet, relying on the cane and leg brace in combination until she relearns how to balance, so it takes her a few moments to get close. The fight has devolved to insults and cursing as they’re both being held back, and Murphy doesn’t look at all like he’s going to be finished any time soon. And as far as she can tell, he’s winning anyway with both less blood on his face and a much sharper tongue for hurling abuse. 

It’s a little more public than she anticipated, but no time like the present. 

She waits until his furious blue eyes land on her before speaking. “Some of us are trying to eat breakfast in peace. Hurry up and apologize Murphy, so we can all get on with our day.”

It’s not particularly noticeable, but his jaw loosens at her order, his eyes widening to see if she’s serious, but she forces herself not to change her expression, staring calmly back at him to see how long it takes before he gives in to her order. Because he’s going to give in, she doesn’t doubt that for a second. 

“Fine,” he growls, and wrenches out of Bellamy’s grasp, pulling himself to his full height as he adjusts his jacket and glares daggers at the guy across from him. “Real sorry I split your cheek open and busted your lip. Next time I’ll go easier on the face.”

Well, it’s not like she was expecting sincerity anyway, so it’ll do. Maybe she’ll give him a few points for being quick since she’s feeling generous. Both of them ignore the shocked expressions of the crowd that only get more disbelieving as she continues. 

“Come on. If you say please, I’ll let you carry my tray since I’m using this damned cane.” She tilts her head towards the line for whatever slop they’re being served today, and he falls in next to her like it’s habit. 

And he does say please. She makes certain of that. 

* * *

Raven was convinced early that on some level Murphy likes playing the submissive, at least if she’s the one bossing him around. What’s surprising is how much she genuinely enjoys taking control, likes telling him what to do but also likes that he takes pleasure in pleasing her. Murphy’s under her instructions to come and help her every afternoon while she completes the generator repair, and besides that, he starts sitting with her in the mess hall for meals too. The more time they spend together, the more she can see how his body language changes in her presence, how he lets his guard down and relaxes. It’s like a feedback loop somehow, between just the two of them, that when he feels calm, she does too. 

A part of her thinks it should be the opposite, that she should want him to be afraid of her, that she should punish him and exact some kind of revenge because she’s in pain almost constantly, but maybe that’s the crux of it, why this weird back and forth between them is working. Because it almost feels like every time he does what she says, her pain lessens. And the more it happens, the better she feels, the more capable. 

Fuck, what does she know. Maybe she’s just being egotistical. Maybe making demands on Murphy’s time and energy has some kind of placebo effect. Whatever. Even if the pain relief wasn’t _real_ , she still felt lighter, somehow. And it wasn’t like she had any other options so she was going to take what she could get. 

She’s seen a few people sending curious glances in their direction, wondering what the two of them are doing since the gossip going around is that Murphy shot her, but no one ever asks. And she’s never confirmed the shooting anyway, not since she hid it from Abby to begin with. Even Finn’s keeping their dynamic off-limits, sitting with them both sometimes at meals and watching their interactions like he’s keeping track. He probably is, knowing him. 

One evening at dinner, Finn starts a conversation with Murphy, and much to her shock, it goes relatively well. At least at first. Finn starts to get oblivious though, when he changes the topic to their pasts, and she can feel Murphy tensing up where her knee nudges against his under the table. Finn had a great family, always had, and he’ll never understand how difficult it is to be the kid whose family sucks. The one who can’t share any happy stories so the choices are either to lie or make a joke to pretend you don’t care. 

She bides her time, listening carefully but staying out of their interaction until she thinks Murphy has reached his limit. 

“That’s enough, Murphy. No more talking from you. My head needs a rest.”

“Raven, that’s so rude!” Finn frowns at her but he lets it go easily, immediately distracted by some of the guards walking by who look to be having an intense discussion of their own. 

While Finn tries to eavesdrop, Raven looks across the table at Murphy. He’s staring back at her, appreciation in his troubled blue eyes. 

* * *

It’s Bellamy who finally bites the bullet and acknowledges the elephant in the room. 

“What’s up with you and Murphy?” Bellamy asks her, striding into her work area right after breakfast. 

“I dunno. Why do you care?” She questions in return. Bellamy hasn’t exactly made his animosity a secret. It’s not that she blames him, exactly. Murphy did try to kill him, and was willing to take Octavia out in exchange. But then again, Bellamy tried to kill Murphy first, so there was that. Besides, out of any of them, Raven got the worst of the fallout from their little war. Frankly they should both be grateful she’s speaking to either one of them, come to think of it. 

“Come on, Raven. Everybody knows there’s something going on between you two. He follows you around like some kind of loyal puppy.”

“He’s _not_ an animal,” Raven snaps, offended. “And so what if he’s helping me out. I don’t see anybody else offering.”

“Alright, alright. I’m not trying to piss you off.”

_Could have fooled her_ , she scoffs, but she keeps the sentiment to herself. “Then what do you want, Bellamy?”

“It’s just, well, it’s strange, you can’t deny that. He shot you, damn it! And yet you don’t seem to care. Hell, you’ve got Finn wondering if you’re sleeping with him or something.”

“I don’t think that’s either of your business whether I am or not, is it?”

“Shit, no. Fuck, I’m messing this up.”

“Yeah, you definitely are. Just spit it out, because I know you didn’t come here out of sheer curiosity.”

Bellamy sighs, searching for words. “It’s just that he’s such an asshole - I don’t know how you can stand him. He makes a nuisance of himself all day, he’s started more fights than I can count since we got here, and he doesn’t seem to listen to anybody, ever. Except you.” He looks at her skeptically. “Is it true you got him to _thank_ Major Byrne for throwing him in the brig for fighting the other day?”

“Maybe,” Raven shrugs, though she remembers exactly what happened. Murphy had thanked Major Byrne after she made him say it, yes, but not for locking him up. No, he’d begrudgingly thanked her for letting him out early after Raven had talked the soldier into it and then firmly suggested that Murphy show his own appreciation. 

“Well, whatever you’re doing, I don’t know, I’m wondering how you’re doing it. Because I have to ask him for something and I need to convince him to do it.”

She should have known. “I don’t think it matters how I’m doing it, Bellamy. Not when there’s already bad blood between you two and he’s gonna know you want something right away if you suddenly start making nice. Most of the people around here don’t give Murphy a lot of credit, but he isn’t stupid.”

“I know that, I do. He blew a hole in the fucking Dropship didn’t he, and he didn’t kill himself in the process. But, Raven. The Council wants to ask him questions tomorrow about the Grounders, about what they did to him when they took him hostage and sent him back to camp with some kind of biological weapon that made us all sick. They want to know what they’re dealing with from someone who was there. He needs to agree. Because if he does, and everyone understands what kinds of threats we’re facing, we can get out of here with some fucking guns and go find our friends.”

Now it’s her turn to sigh. “Okay. Come back this afternoon, when he’s here helping me with the generator repair. Ask him in front of me and tell him what time he has to be there tomorrow, then leave. I’ll talk to him about it after you go, and maybe I can convince him.”

“Thanks. I owe you one,” Bellamy grins, and leaves in a hurry. 

Yeah, he’ll owe her one, alright. And it’s quite possible that if she can persuade Murphy to do this even though she already knows he won’t want to, she’ll end up owing _him_ one too. 

* * *

Marcus Kane accompanies Bellamy later that afternoon. As if that was going to do any good. Raven rolls her eyes at Bellamy when they stride across the floor towards them, and Bellamy shrugs like he had no control. Even so, it’s going to make it all worse.

“Ms. Reyes, Mr. Murphy,” Kane greets them, and already she can sense Murphy stiffening up from her position next to him. 

She nods at Kane and Bellamy, but Murphy doesn’t say anything. 

Kane continues, unfazed. “Mr. Murphy, the Council would very much like to talk to you about your experiences in the Trikru village. We’re told you have first-hand knowledge of Grounder practices.”

“Yeah,” Murphy drawls, turning the word into multiple syllables. “If that’s what you want to call three days worth of fucking torture.”

Raven half-snorts at the sarcasm, covering her lips with her fingers to try and disguise the sound. Murphy’s eyes flick to hers at the movement, and she’s sure she glimpses a flash of satisfaction that he’s entertained her. 

“I apologize, Mr. Murphy,” Kane responds, formal as always. “It’s imperative that we know what we’re dealing with down here. It would be a big help if you would-”

“Fuck helping!” Murphy cuts Kane off. “Where was help for my family when we needed it? For me? I was just a kid and your precious Council locked me away and then sent me down here to die. Go fucking float yourself, that’s my answer.”

For once Marcus Kane looks speechless, but he pulls himself together quickly. “You are going to-”

Raven interrupts before the conversation is past salvaging. “Bellamy, Kane, I think Murphy needs some time to think about this. Don’t you, Murphy?” She turns to look at him, her gaze deliberately gentle so he won’t think she’s angry with him. 

He clenches his teeth, and she can see the effort it takes for him to grit out a single word. “Yes.”

“The meeting’s tomorrow, at noon,” Bellamy adds over his shoulder as he and Kane turn to leave. “In the Council’s Chambers.”

Raven nods absentmindedly, her attention solely focused on Murphy now. 

He looks like he wants to flee, maybe from her, maybe from the whole situation. She can’t really blame him. He has more reason than most to hate the Council and everything it stands for. Going in front of them to be grilled about painful topics - both physically and emotionally - isn’t something she genuinely wants for him either. However strange it may be, the time she’s spent with Murphy in the rickety remains of the Ark has drained any real capacity to hate him out of her. There’s still anger at her situation, yeah, but all of them have had their backs to the wall in more ways than one, and the more she thinks about it, the easier it is to be furious at the world they live in more than anything - or anyone - else. 

She takes a deep breath, not wanting to mess this up, and walks over to grab the supplies she needs before pulling the most comfortable chair in the room behind a desk that faces the door. “I need to get this part together for Sinclair today. But you should take a break. Come over here with me.”

Raven settles into the chair while Murphy hesitates but eventually does as she suggests. She gestures to the floor next to her, indicating he should sit down. He’ll be behind the desk, and no one will see him even if they come into the workshop, and it’s probably a better hiding spot than most places around camp lately, especially since she can run interference if he needs it. Murphy sits at her feet and she wonders if he realizes all this, that she’s bossing him around for his own good and also weirdly for her own, but it’s all so complicated and strange that it makes her head hurt. 

It only takes a few moments for her to get caught up in her work, carefully repairing the pieces that have broken, but she’s not unaware of Murphy sitting stiffly at her knee as the time passes. She’d hoped he could find some calm on his own, although it’s not looking likely. Raven puts down the part she’s holding, her left hand slowly moving off the desk to lay softly in Murphy’s hair. Using gentle pressure, she pushes his head to rest against her left thigh, his body leaning against her knee and brace. She can feel a deep, shuddering breath go through him at the contact and she keeps her hand there, palm flat and thumb at the nape of his neck, casually rubbing the pale and velvety skin as he gives in and collapses his weight onto her. 

“I won’t tell you to do it,” she says, her voice soft. “But I _will_ remind you that it’s people just like us who have been taken and are trapped there. Kids who didn’t have choices, who were backed into corners and don’t have anyone to rely on. You know how that feels. You have reason to hold a grudge, I know that. But I’m hoping you won’t.” 

Murphy doesn’t answer. She didn’t expect him to, and her words are meant to reassure him that she won’t force him but also to let him know there’s a right choice and a wrong one this time, and it’ll be up to him to make it. 

The repair work isn’t easy with only one hand, but she manages to complete the part Sinclair needs just over an hour later, with Murphy silently huddled against her. He's relaxed under the lazy caress of her fingers, and she likes the way she can feel the rise and fall of his breath on her thigh through his cheek. She’d set out to comfort him but in the end she’d been comforted by the physical contact too. She isn’t sure how to feel about it. 

“Murphy,” Raven whispers. “I’m finished. I need to go find Sinclair and wire this up. I think you should go and get some sleep.” She lifts her hand off Murphy’s head and he turns to look up at her, an indented line slashed across his cheek from where it had been pressed against a crease in her pants. She almost moves to smooth her fingers over it before she thinks twice and stops herself. At least he looks more in control again, less panicked. 

“If you decide to do this tomorrow, I’ll go with you if you want. Just come get me before noon, alright?”

He nods, just once, his lips parting like he wants to say more but all that comes out is “Thanks.”

Raven watches him go, knowing that what’s good for the rest of her friends is going to be agonizing for him. 

She lays awake for a long time that night, sleep evasive as her thoughts churn and her leg aches. 

* * *

Murphy comes looking for her just ten minutes before the meeting is supposed to start. She hadn’t been letting herself wonder about it, relatively sure that if Murphy refused to answer the Council’s questions, they might force him to participate regardless. She didn’t like that possibility, but if he felt like the better option was to be tortured into answering instead of giving in, who was she to judge that. Still, she can’t stop herself from asking the question, as they walk down the hall together. 

“Are you sure about this?”

He turns to look at her, his pace adjusted so that she can keep up. “No, I’m not.”

The door is within sight before they know it, two guards on either side. It’s open, the room crowded with people, and Raven can see Marcus Kane, Abby Griffin, and Thelonious Jaha sitting at the front like judge and jury. Bellamy’s there too, off to the side, and there’s a few empty chairs. One of which takes center stage. Presumably for Murphy. 

“Hey,” Raven uses her bossiest tone, her voice hard and demanding. “You look at me whenever you answer a question, you got it, Murphy? Me. Not anyone else. Just look at me.”

Murphy looks startled by her order, swallowing heavily as he takes in the room. She takes a half-step in front of him, forcing him to meet her gaze and focus his attention solely on her. 

“You look at only me when you answer.”

“Yeah. Only you.”

They go in a few seconds later and one of the guards shuts the door behind them with an imposing creak. 

* * *

It’s worse than she anticipates, the entire awful mess of an interview. Even Bellamy looks almost sick when it’s done, and Raven struggles to keep her face expressionless through all of it. Murphy did as he was told, his eyes darting to hers every time he spelled out exactly what had been done to him during his three days of torture before they sent him back to the Dropship, broken, beaten and diseased. His answers are bitter, curt, and any time Kane or Jaha in particular ask a question, he gets more combative and goes on the attack. Raven doesn’t fault him for it, and maybe for once the members of the Council don’t either, choosing not to retaliate in spite of every curse and insult Murphy lobs at them. 

She feels like she wants to vomit afterwards, like she wants to rid herself of all the unwanted knowledge in any way she can, but if nothing else, what she did meant that Murphy didn’t have to see the rest of their reactions. He doesn't want anyone else's pity any more than she does. Maybe she can find a way to live with what she knows for that alone. 

At least the result of it is that the clearance is given immediately for a team to head out, fully equipped with weapons and a plan, though it takes her by surprise that they ask Murphy to go along with them.

* * *

She knew Murphy wanted to go as soon as the offer was made, even now his body buzzing with nervous energy as part of the team gathers outside just before they leave the next morning. 

She walks with them as they make their way to the gate, ostensibly to say goodbye to Finn, maybe Bellamy too, and certainly to wish them luck. Admittedly, she’s had a lot on her own plate, but she’s scared for Jasper and Monty, Clarke, all of them, and desperately wants them returned safe. 

“Don’t blow up the place,” Bellamy grins, and gives her an awkward one-armed hug as he juggles his gun and a bag of supplies.

“No promises,” Raven replies, a subdued smile on her face at the thought. “Bring them back safe. Yourself too.”

Bellamy jerks his chin and starts to walk away, most of the group that’s left behind following him until there’s only Finn and Murphy remaining. 

And isn’t that a strange fucking turn her life has taken, all things considered. 

Finn frowns at Murphy after a few moments of none of them speaking, and obviously uncomfortable with the silence, he steps forward to give Raven a real hug. Everything else aside, Finn will always be her family, and she squeezes him back, returning the embrace as she reminds him to be careful. 

“When am I not careful?” Finn retorts, making her roll her eyes remembering what feels like hundreds of incidents of Finn not being careful. 

“This is going to be dangerous, Finn. Think before you act for a change, alright?” She pulls back from the hug, her eyes solemn as the memories and danger of Murphy’s experiences in that Grounder village flicker through her brain. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Finn lifts his hand in a wave as he jogs backwards, clearly not taking her concerns seriously. Shaking her head, annoyance flashes through her, making her wonder why she’d ever thought his recklessness was appealing. In hindsight, they never really were a good match. She wishes they had just stayed friends who loved each other, rather than becoming lovers who almost ruined their friendship. 

There was nothing to do but sigh. Finn would go his own way regardless of what she thought, and that was abundantly clear since they’d both come down to the ground. She looks at Murphy, the last one to linger alongside her, and wonders if he can see the regret she feels over Finn shining in her eyes. Maybe she’s been going her own way too. 

“Finn has good intentions,” she offers, “but he doesn’t always think things through. You and Bellamy may hate each other, but his plans are usually solid. If your gut isn’t sure, stick with him. Try not to die.”

Murphy grins at her, a genuine one instead of his usual smirk. It’s nice to see it, especially after what he went through yesterday. 

“Shouldn’t be too hard, since surviving seems like the only thing I’m decent at.”

“Maybe so, but that’s not the only thing you’re decent at,” she denies. “You helped me get a lot of my mechanical repairs done lately. With the right training, your hands could be pretty talented.”

He doesn’t do something so obvious as blushing, but Raven can tell her compliment pleases him with the way he looks down at the ground and shrugs before their eyes meet again. 

The rest of the group is beyond the fence now, almost but not quite waiting for him, and he’ll have to run to catch up. Whatever they’ve been doing isn’t easy to define, for either of them, and she’s not exactly sure what that should mean in terms of what she should say as a farewell. It’s possible one or both of them could die in the time he’s gone, as morbid as it sounds. But there’s no use taking it for granted, considering all they've already been through. Besides, there’s not time for much, and anyway, she doubts she could really put anything into words when she doesn’t fully understand it herself. 

“Be good, Murphy.” She squints up at him, mouth curved with a slight grin that belies the firm order.

“Doubt it, Reyes. Nobody’ll be there to keep me in line.” 

The unexpected reply makes her laugh, amusement filling her for the first time in what feels like ages. His grin turns into a full-blown smile and so does hers as she watches him turn and jog away, the sunlight almost making her eyes water. 

All in all, it’s not a bad way to say goodbye. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you'll consider letting me know what you thought. I won't promise that I'll be doing this long term, and I already have other prompts I'm working on, but if you'd like to support BLM, maybe I'll write a fic for you, too.
> 
> https://easilydistractedbyfanfic.tumblr.com/post/620392423062978560/accepting-murven-fic-prompts-for-a-cause


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